Safety device for cinematograph-films.



A. F. VICTOR.

SAFETY DEVICE FOR CINEMATOGRAPH FILMS.

. APPLICATION FILED MAR. 23, 1916- l ,1 98,682.. Patented Sent. 19, 1916.

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ALEXANDER FERDINAND VICTOR, OF DAVENPORT, IOWA.

SAFETY DEVICE FOR CINEMATOGRAPH-FILMS.

Specification of Letters Patent.

Patented Sept. 19, 1916.

Application filed March 23, 1916. Serial No. 86,047.

To all whom it may concern:

Be it known that I, ALEXANDER FERDI- NAND Vroron, a subject of the King of Sweden, having declared my intention of becoming a citizen of the United States, residing at Davenport, in the county of Scott and State of Iowa, have invented new and useful Improvements in Safety Devices for Cinematograph-Films, of which the following is a full, clear, and exact description.

My invention relates to cinematographs, and particularly to improvements relating to intermittent film actuating mechanism thereof.

The object of my invention is to prevent the film from stopping while in transit through the machine because of the failure of the intermittent sprocket to obtain sufiicient purchase on the film when the marginal perforations of the latter become enlarged or torn along its edges and the teeth of the sprocket slip out of said perforations, and thus avoid delays of any appreciable duration and the possible ignition of the film. This I accomplish by the means hereinafter fully described, and as particularly pointed out in the claims.

In the drawings: Figure 1 is a side elevation of a fragment of a cinematograph disclosing the intermittent film actuating mechanism showing my improvements applied thereto. Fig. 2 is a horizontal section through the lower drum, taken on dotted line 2-2, Fig. 1. Fig. 3 is a horizontal section taken on dotted line 3 -3, Fig. 1. Fig. 4 is a rear elevation of a fragment of the partition in which the exposure-opening is made. Fig. 5 is a horizontal section taken on dotted line 55, Fig. 1. Fig. 6 is a detail View showing the upper broken away part of the pressure arms used in conjunction with the intermittent sprocket that actuates the film.

My invention particularly relates to the mechanism used in cinematographs forv directing the course of the film past the exposure-opening located mediate the projecting lens and the lamp. This mechanism is, preferably, inclosed in a rectangular casing A the rear wall B of which is hinged at its lower edge to the fioor of the same so that it can be swung downward, and the right hand wall of which is hinged at its rear vertical edge to the rear wall so as to enable said casing to be opened to expose and permit access to transverse partition C projecting from the longitudinal side thereof and mechanism for intermittently moving the film past the exposure-openings. When rear wall B is disposed so as to close the rear end of the casing, the partition -is parallel thereto and separated therefrom a suitable distance and its rear side has corresponding vertical ribs 5, 5, made integral therewith that are separated a distance corresponding to the width of the pictures on the film. The rear edges of these ribs are faced with brass, and vertically disposed metallic guide-strips 5, 5 are placed edgewise against the partition and have their upper and lower ends secured to screws tapped into the same, and these guide-strips lap against the outer sides of said ribs and their rear edges project beyond and flank the rear edges of the ribs and the vertically disposed stationary runners 6, 6, and guide the film down back of the same and past exposure-opening 17 in the partition and in front of exposureopening 10 in the rear wall. Runners 6, 6, consists of strips of spring steel or other suitable material both ends of which are curled back upon their length to enable them to be snapped over the upper and lower edges of the partition and securely attached thereto. The front side of the rear wall is provided with corresponding vertically disposed yielding bars 7, 7, which are separated the same distance apart as runners 6, and are mounted near each end on screws 13 passing through enlarged holes in said rear wall and kept normally pressed forward against the stationary runners 6, 6, when in proper position, by springs 8, 8, interposed between said wall and the yielding' runners. These bars are also faced with steel runners 9, 9, whose ends are curled similar to the ends of runners 6, 6, and are retained on said bars by being snapped over their ends in the same manner that said runners are retained in the partition.

The front wall of the casing supports and is penetrated by a suitable longitudinally disposed projecting lens, and the exposureopenings 10 and 17 are in alinement with the axis of said projecting lens. (Not shown.) The film X passes down into said casing through a transverse opening located near the upper forward end of the same, and then extends down around the outside of a transverse idle-roller 12 and then describes a bend and passes upward between the upper drum 18 and a yielding retaining roller 1 1 that keeps the film in contact with said drum so that the teeth of the sprocket on each end thereof will engage the marginal perforations of the film. Yielding roller 14 is mounted -on the transverse spindle of a crank-arm 15 the journal of which has bearings, preferably, in the left hand side of the casing and is provided with means (not shown) to keep the roller normally pressing against the drum. From drum 13 the film describes an inverted loop and the downward stretch thereof engages a transverse idle-roller 16 located between the upper edge of the partition and the top of the casing, and then extends down to and between the stationary and yielding runners 6, 6, and 9, 9, past the exposureopening in the partition and the corresponding exposure-opening 10 in rear wall B, as hereinbefore stated. After it leaves the embrace of these runners, the film extends downward and is engaged by a trans versely disposed intermittent rotatingsprocket 18 and is kept in engagement therewith by the slotted segmental shaped arms 19, 19, secured to and projecting down from a transverse rock-shaft or spindle 20 which latter is located between the lower edge of the partition and the intermittent sprocket, and is parallel to the axis of the latter. The lower ends of these arms are connected by a transverse bar 21 and the rock-shaft from which they project is journaled in suitable bearings made in the same supporting element 22 in which the shaft of the intermittent sprocket is journaled, which latter, in passing, it may be stated, has a limited vertical movement. The arms 19, 19, are kept normally bearing against the periphery of the intermittent roller to insure the teeth thereof entering and engaging the marginal perforations of the film by a wire-spring 23, one end of which is fastened to said supporting element 22, and the other end bears against one side of a pear-shaped cam 24: mounted on rock-shaft 20 next its bearings. After its engagement with the intermittent sprocket, the film passes downward and describes a loop and then extends upward between a lower drum 25, which corresponds in dimensions and construction to upper drum 13, and a yielding roller 26, which latter corresponds to the upper yielding roller 14, and is mounted upon the spindle of an arm 27 corresponding to arm 15. From this roller 25 the film passes upward and around the lower drum and on the outside of an idle-roller 28 and then passes down and out of casing A through an opening in the floor thereof.

It frequently happens that one or more perforations in the margins of the film become torn or enlarged or burned out, particularly when passing down between the runners past the exposureopenings, and when such perforations reach the intermittent sprocket the latter will be unable to obtain a purchase on the same and the inter mittent sprocket will be unable to advance the film past the exposure-opening, and the film thus retained stationary is liable to be ignited by the heat generated by the lamp. Vhen this happens the continued rotation of the lower drum will automatically take up the lower slack or loop of the film between the intermittent sprocket and the lower drum, and then will pull arms 19, 19, upward into the position shown in dotted lines in Fig. 1 of the drawings, and will draw the film forward past the exposure openings in a continuous non-intermittent movement, thus causing the pictures to blur on the screen, whereupon the operator can stop the machine, open the casing and after adjusting the film on the teeth of the intermittent sprocket, can swing said arms 19 downward to bring them into engagement with the sprocket again.

It is possible for the film, after the correcting operation just referred to has been performed, to extend direct from bar 21 and between the yielding roller 25 and the lower drum 26, but this would not be in accordance with the recognized principles governing the course of the film, and so I have provided means for restoring the lower loop of the film. This consists of an arm 29 one end of which is journaled on the journals of the shaft of the lower drum next its bearings, and the other end of which is provided with a transverse pin upon which is mounted a. roller 31 the axis of which is parallel to the axis of the drum. The boss of arm 29 has a suitable gear 32 cut in its circumference, and this gear is engaged by a vertically rceiproeable rack-bar that extends vertically up through the top of the casing and at a suitable distance above the drum has the teeth thereof stripped therefrom and passes through a suitable guide-lug 3%. Between this lug 3i and a collar mounted, thereon, said rack bar has a coil expansionspring 36 surrounding it that normally keeps it at the upper limit of its throw. lVhen it is desired to provide the film with a. lower loop this rack-bar is pushed down ward and roller 31 engages the film and pushes it downward, as shown in dotted line, to form said loop. Then this loop is restored, guide-arms 19, 19, are swung downward and the film is again made to press against the intermittent sprocket so that the teeth thereof will enter the perforations of the film the same as'before, whereupon, after the film is adjusted longitudinally to properly frame the picture again, the operation ofthe machine is restored.

What I claim as new is: v

1. In a cinematograph, the combination with mechanism for intermittently advancing the film past the exposure opening thereof including an intermittently rotatable sprocket, and a take-up drum sprocket, of a yielding device which keeps the film in engagement with said intermittent sprocket and is adapted to be swung back toward said take-up drum.

2. In a cinematograph, the combination with mechanism for intermittently advancing the film past the exposure opening thereof including an intermittently rotatable sprocket and a take-up drum sprocket, of a yielding device consisting of a spring returnable rock-shaft that is parallel to the axis of said intermittent sprocket, and arms depending therefrom which keep the film in engagement with said intermittent sprocket and is adapted to be swung back toward said take-up drum.

8. In a cinematograph, the combination with mechanism for intermittently advancing the film past the exposure opening thereof including an intermittently rotatable sprocket and a take-up drum sprocket, of means which normally keep the film in engagement with said intermittent sprocket and is adjustable to permit the film to advance out of engagement with the same.

4. In a cinematograph, the combination with mechanism for intermittently advancing the film past the exposure opening thereof including an intermittently rotatable sprocket and a take-up drum sprocket, of means which normally keep the film in engagement with said intermittent sprocket and is automatically adjustable to permit the film to advance out of engagement with the same.

5. In a cinematograph, the combination with mechanism for intermittently advancing the film past the exposure opening thereof including an intermittently rotatable sprocket and a take-up drum sprocket, of means which normally keep the film in engagement with said intermittent sprocket and is adjustable to permit the film to advance out of engagement with the same, and devices for restoring the loop of the film between said intermittent sprocket and said drum.

6. In a cinematograph, the combination with mechanism for intermittently advancing the film past the exposure opening thereof including an intermittently rotatable sprocket and a take-up drum sprocket, of means which normally keep the film in engagement with said intermittent sprocket and is automatically adjustable to permit the film to advance out of engagement with the same, and devices for restoring the loop of the film between said intermittent sprocket and said drum.

7 In a cinematograph, the combination with mechanism for intermittently advancing the film past the exposure opening thereof including an intermittently rotatable sprocket and a take-up drum sprocket, of a yielding device consisting of a spring returnable rock-shaft that is parallel to the axis of said intermittent sprocket, and arms depending therefrom which keep the film in engagement with said intermittent sprocket and is adapted to be swung back toward said take-up drum, and devices for restoring the loop of the film between said intermittent sprocket and said drum.

8. In a cinematograph, the combination with mechanism for intermittently advancing the film past the exposure opening thereof including an intermittently rotatable sprocket and a take-up drum sprocket, of means which normally keep the film in en-- gagement with said intermittent sprocket and is adjustable to permit the film to advance out of engagement with the same, and an oscillatory roller the axis of which is parallel to that of said drum for restoring the loop of the film between the same and said intermittent sprocket.

9. In a cinematograph, the combination with mechanism for intermittently advancing the film past the exposure opening thereof including an intermittently rotatable sprocket and a take-up drum sprocket, of a yielding device consisting of a spring returnable rock-shaft that is parallel to the axis of said intermittent sprocket, and arms depending therefrom which keep the film in engagement with said intermittent sprocket and is adapted to be swung back toward said take-up drum, and an oscillatory roller the axis of which is parallel to that of said drum for restoring the loop of the film between the same and said intermittent sprocket.

10. In a cinematograph, the combination with mechanism for intermittently advancing the film past the exposure opening thereof including an intermittently rotatable sprocket and a take-up drum sprocket, of means which normally keep the film in engagement with said intermittent sprocket and is adjustable to permit the film to advance out of engagement with the same, a roller the axis of which is parallel to that of said drum, an oscillatory roller arm upon the transverse outer portion of which said roller is journaled, and a device engaging the same to rotatably adjust the roller to restore the loop of the film between said drum and said intermittent roller.

11. In a clnematograph, the combination with mechanism for intermittently advancing the film past the exposure opening thereof including an intermittently rotatable sprocket and a take-up drum sprocket, of a yielding device consisting of a spring returnable rock-shaft that is parallel to the axis of said intermittent sprocket, and arms depending therefrom which keep the film in engagement with said intermittent sprocket and is adapted to be swung back toward said take-up drum, a roller the axis of which is parallel to that of said drum, an oscillatory roller arm upon the transverse outer portion of which said roller is journaled, and a device engaging the same to rotatably adjust the roller to restore the loop of the film between said drum and said intermittent sprocket.

12. In a cinematograph, the combination with mechanism for intermittently advancing the film past the exposure opening thereof including an intermittently rotatable sprocket and a take-up drum sprocket, of means which normally keep the film in engagement with said intermittent sprocket and is adjustable to permit the film to advance out of engagement with the same, a roller the axis of which is parallel to that of said drum, an oscillatory arm upon the transverse outer end portion of which said roller is journaled, a gear connected to and concentric with the aXis of said arm, and a spring returnable rack engaging said gear.

In witness whereof I have hereunto set my hand this 13th day of March, 1916.

ALEXANDER FERDINAND VICTOR. Vitnesses:

FRANK D. THoMAsoN, Uno CLAUSSEN.

Copies of this patent may be obtained for five cents each, by addressing the Commissioner of Patents, Washington, D. 0." 

